The shortage of organs for transplantation: Where do we go from here?

The ability to transplant solid organs successfully is one of the most miraculous accomplishments of modern medicine. For a patient with end-stage renal disease, a renal transplant offers the best chance of rehabilitation and long-term survival. Renal transplantation, which costs about one third as much as dialysis,¹ is also the optimal therapy from the viewpoint of society, which now pays over $3 billion a year for the government's end-stage renal disease program.² For those with failing hearts or livers, transplantation is even more valuable, since it is the only therapy that can replace imminent certain death with the hope of.